Giving Up on Perfect

As I’ve mentioned, realizing that I can bake but I really shouldn’t has been one of the many surprises of becoming a stay-at-home mom. This [crazy delicious] bread was the last straw.

Well, it was the last straw before the pan of Rice Krispy treats that were consumed – mainly by me – in a much-too-short period of time. That was really the last straw. (But you don’t bake Rice Krispy treats, so I’m not sure they count in this equation.)

The problem with this bread recipe I found on the Carter Family Table blog is that, first of all, it makes three loaves. And secondly, it is simply delicious.

In a word, this bread tastes like Christmas. YUM. (Yeah, I know that’s more than one word. Deal with it.)

I’ve made this bread a second time, but gave away several of the mini loaves as quickly as I could. And since I have another can of pumpkin in my pantry, I’m pretty sure I’ll be adding this to my “Christmas goodies” list later this month.

If you like pumpkin…or chocolate…or the taste of Christmas (and I’m not talking about pine needles, because eww!), you’ll like this yummy bread.

You might want to eat it with a fork. Just sayin'.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

4 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 15-ounce can canned pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, oil and water. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Mix dry and wet ingredients, then fold in chocolate chips. Pour into three greased loaf pans. Bake for one hour – or until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean. (Make sure you check. I undercooked the second batch I made, and it was highly disappointing!)

Notes: You’re going to need a bigger bowl. Whatever size bowl you normally use, get a bigger one. Also, you can use one regular-sized loaf pan and five mini pans. And you can freeze the loaves if you don’t want to eat three loaves at bread at once. Not that anyone would do that.

Also, the original recipe didn’t call for nutmeg and DID call for a cup of walnuts. I’m personally anti-nut, so I don’t see the need for that. Finally, the original recipe called for just 1½ cups of mini chocolate chips. A bag contains about two cups of chips and if I don’t use them, I’m just going to eat them. So it’s better for me to put them all in the bread.

Bonus tip: The mini loaves are great gifts, and I didn’t feel bad at all about delivering them wrapped in plain foil before Thanksgiving. But that’s because they were accompanied with an adorable turkey card, painted by my favorite three-year-old.

When it comes time to give loaves of pumpkin bread for Christmas, though, I’ll do something cuter. For instance, I might wrap the loaf in a cute Christmas towel. Or maybe wrap it in colored plastic wrap or cellophane and tie it with a ribbon. Or, if I’m feeling really ambitious (and this is my real plan), I’ll bake cookies and dip pretzels in white chocolate and place it all on a cute red cookie plate.

What tastes like Christmas to you? And how do you make food gifts look cute and Christmas-y?

This post will be linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, What’s Cooking Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Foodie Friday, Grocery Cart Challenge, Friday Firsts and Food on Fridays. It will also be linked to Ingredient Spotlight at Eat at Home.

Affiliate links were used in this post.

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